APPLICATIONS GUIDE

COVERING
LETTERS
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Introducing your application

Covering Letters
You have seen the vacancy and want to apply - but should you send a ‘covering
letter/email’ with it? And what is that all about?

For the most part, employers really expect to see this and are surprised if you don’t
provide one. Very occasionally an advert specifically states that a covering letter is
not required or desired - but in most cases, recruiters do expect to see this even if
they have not suggested you provide one.

A covering letter is very important because it introduces your application and is an

opportunity to convey a number of important things:

1. Explain why you are interested in their company. Be specific here. Where
did you hear about them? What do you like about them as a company? If
you do lots of research into the company from its website and other
sources, think about what has struck you about this employer. Employers
want to read about what you have noticed. Don’t just list facts here, but
show your thoughts, observations and appreciation. Tailor it - make what
you write relevant to this particular employer. Show you’ve done some
research and reflection.
2.

Top Tip
If you could remove the name of the employer from your covering letter and it
would still work for another employer’s vacancy, you have not tailored your
application. See ‘Ways to do your research’

3. Describe why the role interests you - refer to particular aspects of the role
that draw upon strengths and things that motivate you. Show a clear
understanding of what is involved in the role.
4. Explain how you match the key competencies they are requesting - in
this section, consider using a couple of examples of situations where you
have demonstrated a few of the key competencies that they hope to see.
While your CV provides a factual summary of your experiences, the covering
letter gives you space to be more reflective and to describe how you have
demonstrated your suitability in a few key occasions in more detail. Giving
this insight helps the employer to see whether they would like to talk further
in person about your application!

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Covering Letters
End with a polite closing statement in a final paragraph, for example: ‘Thank you
very much for considering this application. I would welcome the opportunity to
discuss my interest in person.’

Ways to do your research

There are many clues - most company websites have a section called ‘About Us’,
and may have sections on their history, products and services, locations, and client
testimonials. They may have an ‘In the news’ section - many applicants forget to
look at these - and if you do that and reflect positively and intelligently on what
you’ve seen, this will make you stand out. You may be able to find out more about
the company in staff or company LinkedIn pages, in the press or sector news
websites. You may also be able to talk to people about the role before you apply. If
you are lucky enough to have contacts that work there, do also talk with them.

Activity

1. Spend a few minutes looking through the company website - Ask yourself
what they want customers to think about them as an organisation. What are
their values?

2. What are the company’s goals? What is it aiming to achieve? Who are its
potential customers and what particular types of customers is the company
trying to reach? Does the company have a mission statement? Read it and
notice any overall message being presented.

3. Find the company’s ‘News’ section if it has this and read 3 articles. What
points are made that you find interesting? What could you note down and
refer to in your covering letter to show you have gained insights from finding
out about the company?

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Covering letter example

Covering Letters
Your letter needs to fit one
side of A4, written in a
Ground Floor Flat sensible font no smaller than
Kinn Road 11 and formatted as a
Oxford professional letter

Sam Jones Wherever possible, address

Oxford Universal Publishers your letter to a named
Great Clarendon Street person. Contact the
Oxford company to find out who to
OX2 6DP send it to

1/9/20
Highlighting the job title and
Dear Ms Jones, reference number makes it
easier for the recruiter to
Re: Marketing Assistant (W07/076) immediately see which role
you are applying for
I am writing to apply for the position of Marketing Assistant as advertised on the
Oxford Universal Publishers website. Enclosed is my CV for your consideration. Introduce yourself, your
I am not only drawn to OUP because of its development into digital publishing, but reason for writing and where
also because of its focus on education targeting all age groups. My recent you saw the advert
experience as an undergraduate and “end user” of academic journals such as
Essays in Criticism and The Review of English Studies has sparked an interest in a
marketing role at Oxford University Publishers. State your motivation for
applying, what attracts you
My current position as UK Marketing assistant at Publishing Co. together with my to the company and the role.
role as Concert Manager at Oxford Brookes University has given me a strong Why them? Try to show you
interest in a marketing career. As a Marketing assistant my duties include have done your research
designing print material such as posters, booklets and leaflets using Adobe
InDesign and Photoshop. The designing process requires high level of attention to
detail, taking into account marks and bleeds, image resolutions and ink coverage
to ensure the end product is of the highest quality. Liaising with suppliers regarding
our events and the materials we need has allowed me to develop networking and
Using the person
account management skills. Discussing the most appropriate products for the work
specification as a guide,
we produce and estimated delivery times allowed me to forge a stronger
show why you are suitable by
relationship with our suppliers. In addition, managing the company’s database has
highlighting key skills and
developed my account management skills, ensuring all contact addresses and
experiences, state what you
invoicing details are up to date.
can bring to the role and why
they should consider you
As a concert manager, my duties included managing our social media pages such
as Facebook, twitter and Instagram. This involved uploading images and
promotional offers for current and upcoming events. I also developed my oral
communication skills liaising with musicians about time slots and equipment
Positive ending. Finish the
requirements. Writing reviews for Oxford’s “Daily Info” has enhanced my
letter with a strong
copywriting and written communications skills, ensuring all work has the correct
paragraph
spelling and grammar.

As a result of my experience to date both professionally and academically, I If you addressed the letter to
believe that I could make a valuable contribution to OUP as a Marketing Assistant. a named person it should
I look forward to hearing from you. I am available for interview at any time. end with “Yours sincerely”, if
you started with “Dear Sir or
Yours sincerely Madam” it should end with
Jane Schiller “Yours faithfully”
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Covering letter checklist

Covering Letters
If you are including your covering letter as an attachment or by post:
❏ I have made sure that I included: my address, the employer’s address, date
of my letter and the job reference number
❏ I have saved my covering letter with the job reference number / job title and
your name

Introducing your letter:

❏ I have written to ‘Dear (Named Person) or Sir / Madam if it was not possible
to find out who to write to.

Concluding your letter:

❏ I have signed off with ‘Yours sincerely’ (for a named person) or ‘Yours
faithfully’ (if you do not have the names of the recipients.) ‘Kind regards’ is
also acceptable, particularly in an email.

I have structured my covering letter to cover the following three main areas:
1. Why this Employer interests me:
Preparation:
❏ I have taken time to research the company so that I can show some
awareness of how it operates and what I think about it.
❏ I have found out about its history, culture, values, products and
services and any latest news and developments.
Reflection:
❏ I have articulated the aspects which I found most interesting.
Motivation:
❏ I have said why the company appeals to me, showing enthusiasm
and motivation.
❏ I have chosen reasons that the company would also find admirable.
2. Why this Role interest me:
❏ I have explained why the role interests me, giving reasons would be
meaningful to the employer.
❏ I have indicated which competencies I would particularly enjoy and
are my strengths.
3. How I have relevant experience for the competencies which the employer
requires:

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Covering Letters
❏ I have provided specific examples of how I have demonstrated
competencies (refer to exercise you have completed and see Hot Tips
- Describing My Skills leaflet for further ideas)
❏ I have given more space to providing examples that can demonstrate
more than one competency (giving details of the context, actions,
results and my evaluation (e.g. what I learnt, how I might do things
differently if faced with a similar situation).

If I’m writing to express interest in an advertised position:

❏ I have included the job reference number and job title at the start of my
letter.

If I’m writing speculatively:

❏ I have identified specific contacts that might be interested in my application.
❏ I have kept the letter short and focused.
❏ I have attached a CV and ensured that I have presented relevant skills the
employer is likely to value.

If I’m writing to make a contact:

❏ I have referred to any mutual contact we may have in common.
❏ I have explained why I am interested in their company and sector.
❏ I have shown my desire to learn more and asked for a short amount of time
to have a conversation (whether that is in person or over the phone or
through an online meeting).

Proofreading and checking your covering letter

❏ I have kept my covering letter to one side A4.
❏ I have checked my letter is clear and logical.
❏ I have proofread to check for spelling and grammatical mistakes.

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Covering letter FAQs

Covering Letters
Do I attach my cover letter as a separate document or do I write it in the body
of the email?
It is usually fine to incorporate your covering letter into an email rather than having
it as a separate document - unless you have been asked to upload or attach a
covering letter.

If I am attaching as a separate document, do I have to convert it to a PDF file

first?
It is fine to convert your covering letter into a PDF file (to preserve formatting)
unless you have been asked to upload it as a Word document.

How to address someone e.g. Mr, Mrs, Ms, Mx, first name or full name? Or
Sir/Madam?
Try to find out the name of the hiring manager, if possible - it looks good to address
your letter to a named person. You could use titles e.g. Mr, Mrs, Ms or Mx
(Surname). If you don’t know their title or are unsure about assigning one, you
could write ‘Dear Firstname Surname’. It is best to avoid ‘Dear (Firstname) in case
this is considered too familiar. If you don’t know who to address the letter to, ‘Dear
Sir or Madam’ is acceptable.

What font do I use?

Fonts such as Arial are popular and widely considered to be acceptable. It is wise
to avoid fonts such as Comic Sans, which can be seen as unprofessional. Font size
of 11 or 12 points is considered to be ideal.

I have no previous work experience, what do I write in the skills section?

You can refer to any other experience e.g. volunteering, student societies, acting as
a course representative, sports, and experience gained in your academic studies
(e.g. group presentations). For further advice, check out our Hot Tips leaflet on
Work Experience and speak with Careers.

I am an international student, do I mention it in the cover letter and ask for

visa sponsorship?
Before considering your visa request, employers normally want to be persuaded
that you meet their selection criteria. For that reason, it is best to first show your
interest in the company, the role and how you meet their requirements. After this
you could insert a short sentence e.g. ‘I am an international student and able to
work in the UK under the terms of my visa for X hours.’ or ‘I am an international

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Covering Letters
student currently able to work in the UK under the terms of my visa for X hours and
believe my experience could be useful to your company - and would therefore like
to ask if I could be considered for visa sponsorship.’

Do I sign off with ‘Yours sincerely’ or ‘Yours faithfully’? How do I sign off in

the email?
If you are writing to a named person, end with Yours sincerely’. If you don’t have
the names of the recipients, use ‘Yours faithfully’. ‘Kind regards’ is acceptable as
an ending within an email.

Do I need to put my address and the company’s address if I write my letter in

the body of the email?
No, this is not usually expected by employers within an email. If you haven’t
provided your own address elsewhere in your application, you may wish to include
it here.

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